CRABBING AND SHRIMPING

Most people think of crab and shrimp as something to get at a restaurant or see on t.v., but Alaskans love to catch their own. The good news is it’s pretty easy – and lots of fun – to do. The ocean waters around Kodiak Island are teeming with shellfish. From a boat, simply bait a few box traps, drop them down – usually in a sheltered cove – then come back a few hours later to see if there’s anything inside. Chances are, in Alaska, there is!

Put on some rubber gloves and pick out your treasure. Hold the big ones up for a photo, then hurry home – because you’re serving wild Alaska crab! Or shrimp! Or both! Even the finest restaurant in America can’t offer shellfish so fresh it was in Alaska’s ocean an hour before dinner. Melt some butter, uncork a bottle of red and say, “Ahhhh…this is the life.”